A lttle rant about entry fees....

[limewave]

I share in your frustration. DH and I do a lot of the same events as well. And now is the time to start registering for all of our events.
Chicago Marathon: $220 (not including transportation & lodging)
X-Terra Blackhawk Tri: $110
Iceman Cometh: $130
Stark Raving Mad Adv. Race: $120
Tour of Cedar Creek: $75
Owasippee TT: $50
Pendalouon Trail Run: $50
Block 58 Tri: $150
. . . and there are more . . . We have a monthly budget for events.

I was really upset when DH and I spent $180 for our first Triathlon last year. We showed up race morning to find out we were dq'd because we were literally 30 seconds late to checking in our gear to the transition area. I could vent about this forever because it turned out we WEREN'T late according to their own instructions. And they never refunded us either. Grrrr. That organization is now being sued by a national triathlon association

Anyways, the point is, racing is expensive.

[Lise]

I agree. And I've found some local races that cost $35-45. Sprint tris at suburban YMCA or Park District. They aren't fancy. You do get a t-shirt. The Leaning Tower YMCA had a contest last year, and a HS senior had the winning t-shirt design. They had cheering squads from a local HS on the corners. OK, the kids kind of wandered out onto the course sometimes...but it was fun. Nothing glamourous, but neither did it break my bank. You never know. You might find some good "little" triathlons out there.

[btchance]

Wow - I never realized how lucky I am down here in Alabama. The most expensive race I'm doing this year is Chatanooga Olympic, which is USAT and a well run, nationaly known event - it's only $75. My duathlon, another USAT, in April is 45. Most of the sprints around here are 15 - $45, all with t-shirts and a few other goodies. I am definately lucky.

[Running Mommy]

Yeah BT- Go to California! The races out there are ridiculous! 90.00 for a sprint! 75.00 for a super sprint!!
Not that it's much better here in AZ... Actually come to think of it, it's about the same.... sigh....

[KSH]

You know... I would give up my T-shirt and water bottle... to get a cheaper entry fee.

I also would be OK at the shorter races, if they cut some of the food afterwards to save money.

I don't really NEED pizza at 10:30 AM after a race. Right?

This an expensive sport... and it's hard for someone on a limited budget to do it. I still marvel at the fact that I was even able to buy a bike 2 years ago when I was barely making enough to live.

[MINIskirt]

Triathlon is definitely an expensive sport! I'm just getting started with it this year and I'd really hate to add how much money I've spend in the last few months.

[JenLeath]

I totally agree. I just started doing tri's two years ago. The first year I only did one because I spend the whole summer learning how to swim. But the next year I didn't plan for it, and wasn't able to get into quite a few races. They sell out pretty fast here. I learned my lesson and started a race budget in December. Now I register as soon as they open, if I didn't plan WAY ahead there is no way I could afford to do this sport.

On the other hand, I did a running series last year. It was only $30 and it included 3 races to prepare for the local marathon. I wasn't doing the marathon, but I thought the races would be fun. I am not speedy, but usually finish in the middle of my age group. After every race, all the bagels and hot chocolate (January - February in Utah, BRRR!) were gone. I left the first race cold, wet and starving. I won a technical shirt that was XS (I am a large.) I learned my lesson and brought my own snacks and a blanket. I would've paid more to get a bagel and some warmth after the races, and shirt that fit. There was this girl I chatted with at the starting line, she was very obese and had started running as many races as she could register for. She had already lost 75 lbs in 6 months. She was always the last to finish, and most of the people had gone. They prizes had been giving and all the snacks, even water was gone. That made me kind of mad.

So I will pay $65 for my favorite triathlon locally and smile because my teeshirt fits. Any somebody is always there still there to welcome you to the finish line.

Happy Training,

Jen L